Jimmy King on ESPN 970: Ed Martin 'was a humanitarian'

It's been nearly a decade since Ed Martin died while awaiting sentencing for conspiracy to launder money, but he'll forever be linked with the scandal that devastated the University of Michigan's basketball program.

But Jimmy King saw a gentler side. The former Fab Five star told Casey Ford on ESPN 970's SportsPen that Martin wasn't trying to exploit anyone – he simply cared for the kids he was helping.

"He was a man that cared about youth," King said. "Kids that might not have been able to wear a nice pair of boots to school, or have a winter jacket. He was that type of guy. He didn't care if you played basketball, and that's the misconception here – that he was a booster. He had no affiliation with the school. He didn't prey on young kids. He just cared about ... he was a humanitarian, really.

"So what went down with the aftermath with the perjury, and his going back and forth to court...he had such a big golden heart, that process really put him on his demise. I seen a guy that cared so much about people have his heart broken so much that it led to his demise. So, I just wanna put that out there, that that's the real truth about the Ed Martin that I know."

Listen to the full interview to hear King talk about which teams he hated the most: